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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: file · fall · coach · face · cap · can · wave · pit

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. face — to confront
  3. pit — in a race
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. can — to be able to
  6. can — a tin
  7. can — a tin
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. cap — a lid
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. fall — to drop
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. fall — the season
  15. face — part of the head
  16. fall — to drop
  17. file — a document
  18. cap — of ice
  19. cap — a hat
  20. face — to point toward
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. file — a line of people
  23. file — a tool
  24. pit — a hole

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com